"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
After living in the wilderness – the true wilderness, beyond these magical borders – for her entire life, the idea of being seemingly trapped was suffocating her. The black mare didn’t know how to get out of Beqanna. The same tide that had washed her upon the shore didn’t look very inviting, and even though she would often stand at the cliff’s edge, peering over at the churning white caps as they crashed against the jagged rock, she knew that this was where she was stuck now. She didn’t have the courage to leap, and she knew she didn’t have the strength to swim past the strong currents. Sometimes she would look at these strange creatures, with their various wings and other abilities, and wonder if they knew how to get out.
But she remembers Jinju, the red-eyed mare that she had met so long ago. She remembers her invitation to a land called Taiga. Despite her better judgment, she decides to head in that direction. The snow muffles her footsteps, vapors of warm breath snaking from her nostrils and colliding with the frigid air. They are in the middle of winter, and her black coat had lost its sleekness, trading it in for something thicker. Her ropey mane still hung in tangled coils against her neck, reaching well past her shoulders. She only had a vague idea of where she was heading, but she strides out with a purpose, her almost-black eyes scouring the land as she walks.
She treads for hours, following worn paths. One thing she had learned about this place was that nearly everyone walked the same places. They were terribly predictable creatures. Strands of hair clung to branches, hoof prints were embedded into the snow. And the further she walked, the stronger their scents became. Briseis wasn’t sure if she had found Taiga yet, glancing around at the towering trees. The young mare wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, but she was sure she would know it when she saw it. Or at the very least, when someone saw her.
briseis. you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece
oh, my love, don't forsake me. take what the water gave me ..
It must be simple, the little wolf reasons as she watches the slow ingression of the black mare, to be so plain in an otherwise confusingly bright and brilliant land. The rainbow colors and abilities of Beqanna’s inhabitants are a normalcy Circinae finds comforting, mostly because she is colorful and strange. But, to have the gift of simply being yourself (in outward appearance if anything) must be a blessing in disguise. Besides, who else would walk so carelessly along the border? The thick mare must have convinced herself that she would be of little to no importance in order to just wander without anyone stopping her.
Maybe she doesn’t fear being stopped.
Either way, Circy slips from her cover before the girl can round another bend and lopes easily enough until fear of her own discovery becomes too hard to ignore. It’s here that she looses a wavering note, solid and sweet with a tempo that never changes. It says, “Come and find me, if you can. I’m not alone.” before the chocolate wolf can clip it short and shift upwards into a horse. The call, she hopes, will stop the mare. Circinae’s own sudden appearance from behind the cover of a bloodstained trunk soon afterwards is intended to sooth any residual fear the wanderer may have after hearing such a thing. “Hello there,” The green and navy resident calls softly. In the quiet of this place it seems unnatural to be too loud.
“quite a day for some extensive exercise.” Circy comments, taking in the overall picture presented to her. “Unless, of course, that’s not what you’re here for. Usually the ones who make it this far aren’t.” She regals, eyes tipping up as if she were fishing through her own memories in order to compare them. A quick sort of smile flashes across her pleasant lips when, finally, they dart back to the other horse. “So which is it, if you don’t mind me asking? Exercise, or something else?”
The call that sounds into the air causes her to stop in her tracks. Her muscles go rigid, and her head lifts, both ears flinging forward. With flared nostrils she can detect the faintest scent of something that resembles a canine, and her years of living alone, away from society, has caused her fight or flight instincts to be stronger than most in Beqanna’s probably were. Fighting was rarely an option, since living alone meant she was almost always outnumbered, and already her legs are tense as they ready themselves to flee. But from around the trunk of a giant red tree appears a mare, and the look that crosses her face is a perplexed one. The scent still lingers, but Briseis stills her uneasy legs, surveying the odd colored mare as she approaches.
She was still getting used to all the peculiarities of this land, and while the vibrant array of colors were no longer quite so alarming, the powers that some here possessed were still new to her. In fact, she had never actually witnessed any of them with her own eyes, and that is why the confusion on her face has been replaced with something closer to suspicion. The other mare speaks, and the tone of her voice seems friendly enough, and slowly the black mustang begins to loosen her taut muscles. ”Is this Taiga?” She asks, her brown eyes looking around once more. Without much to go off of, she couldn’t be sure, but she was fairly certain that wherever she was, it was not a common ground such as the meadow or forest. And even though she was new to Beqanna and it wasn’t at all similar to the herd life she was accustomed to in her old home, she was sure that trespassing was not taken kindly here either. ”Jinju invited me. I met her awhile ago, but I only just made it.” The name is dropped in hopes that if this indeed was Taiga that sharing something familiar would give her some sort of validity in being here, that she was not someone that was here to bring harm.
”My name is Briseis.” There is a slight pause, taking in the green and blue mare, before asking hesitantly, ”Was that a wolf that I heard earlier?” Or was it you, is the unsaid portion of her question the remains trapped on her tongue.
briseis. you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece
oh, my love, don't forsake me. take what the water gave me ..
The first waves of the black’s suspicion heighten every predatory instinct within her. Through a smiling mouth she clenches her square teeth together and suppresses the urge to shift, something in the wild nature of this visitor excites every base law nature has ever taught her - passed on through the generations of wolves before her. There’s a rawness to the girl’s movements, hesitance displayed in every twitch of muscle or jerk of her unsteady eye. Circinae is very aware that this newcomer lacks the confidence magical abilities give to their kind, and that awareness has her easing back a step. “For the poor girl’s comfort.” She tells herself, unwilling to acknowledge that she needed the distance equally as much for her own reasons.
“The very place.” She confirms pleasantly, settling into a comfortable position. The tension between them seems to ebb and Circy exhales quietly, shoulders dropping as relaxation soothes her worried bones. Her companion chatters briefly, the mention of Jinju adding a curious spark to her blue eyes while she watches the mare gain her bearings. Every kingdom boasted its own trophy of sorts, the mark of distinction that made it unique; Tephra possessed a ravenous volcano, Nerine sharp cliffs, and Tiaga had her towering redwoods. It was certainly a sight the first time Circy’s own eyes had taken them in and ever since then, that same joy sprang to life inside of her when a wanderer was awed into silence by their stately sentinels.
“Well Briseis, any person lucky enough to secure @[Jinju]’s invitation is a welcome friend in my eyes. Come in, if it suits you, and we’ll go find her together.” The pony mare chirps, navy tail swirling absentmindedly at her hocks. Jinju had been shadowy as of late, consumed with the duty of motherhood (a struggle and joy Circinae herself knew very well) but nonetheless she’d remained within the borders. The shifter has no doubt they’ll be successful in their search.
“My name is Circinae, but most call me Circy and yes - there are wolves here.” She tells Briseis, a warm grin spreading over her features and lighting her eyes with a tepid glow. She swings aside, moving to roll back in the direction she materialized from before tilting her head once more over her shoulder where her guest waits. “Though I think you’ll find their bark worse than their bite.” The upbeat mare winks.
